Harvest Season Hits S.B.

Harvest season is no time for moderation, and with epicure.sb in full swing, the coming days offer a smorgasbord of celebrations honoring the abundance of our fields and vineyards. Consider these the best opportunities to indulge.

During the S.B. County Vintners’ Association’s Celebration of Harvest, wineries will present special dinners, tastings, and sales, while the Festival at Rancho Sisquoc on Saturday, October 13, brings together sips from more than 100 wineries alongside bites from area restaurants, music, and massages (decadence is stressful). Still thirsty? Grab a Vintners’ Visa, a passport to 12 tasting rooms good Friday-Monday, October 12-15 (sbcountywines.com/events/COH.html). Can’t make it? Drown — or lightly douse — your sorrows atop the Canary, at Monday’s final Wine on the Perch event (canarysantabarbara.com): Several wineries will pour, Coast’s chefs will fire up their new pizza oven, and all will relish one of the best views around.

The beloved — yet under-buzzed-about — Harbor and Seafood Festival (harborfestival.org) goes down Saturday: Get in on the secret, and make your way to the water, where you’ll savor affordable, fresh, delicious tastes of the ocean — via chowders, rolls, or critters slurped straight from their shells.

Saturday also brings a superstar pairing when Wine Cask (winecask.com) chef Brandon Hughes joins forces with Jaffurs’s owner/winemaker Craig Jaffurs for a dinner that’ll leave your taste buds tickled and your liver kinda pickled. (I say that with love.) The market-inspired menu includes scallops with macadamia-tarragon pesto; figs with burrata, arugula, and duck confit; grilled Wagyu beef; and chocolate fudge cake. And that’s just the grub. Jaffurs will ensure no bite goes down dry; expect a stellar tour through his Rhône repertoire.

If you’ve ever watched Food, Inc. — or stared, stoned, at a Cheeto — you’ve probably wondered how food becomes food. So did Vassar College chemistry professor Miriam Rossi, who will present The Chemistry of Cuisine on Monday at the Granada Theatre (1214 State St.), in conjunction with the Vassar Club of S.B., alongside some of our area’s favorite “chemists” from Melville Winery, Chocolate Maya, C’est Cheese, and Sly’s. It won’t be just your head getting fed: There’ll be food and wine tastings, too. Call 845-4251.